matt
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Post by matt on Jul 28, 2018 19:12:03 GMT -8
Anyone willing to share their favorite recipe?
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Jul 29, 2018 7:56:31 GMT -8
Honestly, my wife just throws thin strips of steak that she gets from Costco on our smoker at 350 for around 30-45 minutes. At some point, I throw honey, chilli powder, salt & pepper or other seasoning on it. That's it. Turns out mouth watering.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 29, 2018 8:10:57 GMT -8
I haven't done meat jerky in a while. Prepping whole meat is kind of a pain to me. Trimming the pieces so there is near no fat and then getting them in relatively consistent sizes then marinading them is a bit of work. I used to make hamburger jerky quite a bit. Good fresh lean ground beef with some salt are the basic ingredients. Spices as suits you keeping in mind any flavor/spice concentrates on drying. Garlic, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and little pepper are good. Quick mix then roll it out with a pin between two sheets of wax paper and transfer to the racks. Pat it dry part way through if it is sweating fat. I cut in into strips when it is done.
What has taken its place for me is tofu jerky. There are lots of recipes online for that. I like ones that are a diluted soy marinade with some liquid smoke thrown in. I really like the taste but I like that it is a lot of protein without meat fiber. Also with no meat fat there is nothing to go rancid in the heat.
I have also done salmon jerky recently. There is a risk of parasites though. I do freeze then thaw the salmon and dry it at 160F. Theoretically that should take of any baddies. Why would I risk this? The results are absolutely amazing.
Sorry I am not offering any concrete recipes. There are lots of the internet. Start with something from there and experiment. There are a lot of things like how salty you want/need the final products to be that you kind of have to work out for yourself. I did find out that more concentrated soy marinade for my tofu doesn't result in a stronger soy taste. It just makes the result a lot more salty.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 29, 2018 11:52:37 GMT -8
I've made my own jerky once, I think. I was utterly underwhelmed with the product, and decided that was something it was worth buying. I'm with Ernie--too much work to prep, and since I didn't get a tastier product than the purchased kind, there wasn't much point to it.
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Post by johntpenca on Jul 29, 2018 12:23:49 GMT -8
I've made my own jerky once, I think. I was utterly underwhelmed with the product, and decided that was something it was worth buying. I'm with Ernie--too much work to prep, and since I didn't get a tastier product than the purchased kind, there wasn't much point to it. Pretty much my experience. When lived in SoCal and did many trips out of the eastern sierra would always stop at Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop. I had to restrain myself from eating the jerky on the drive to the trailhead. I'm partial to the sweet and spicy jerky. They used to have a landjaeger smoked sausage that was steller; was disappointed when the new owners discontinued it. Overall quality of the products has gone down a bit since the new owners took over though it is still pretty good. Well, not really new owners; the family that started the place and ran it for decades was bought out 10ish (?) years ago. smokedmeats.com/sweet-n-spicy-beef-jerky/
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Post by bikehikefish on Jul 30, 2018 6:17:41 GMT -8
Here is the recipe I have used, but not recently, because as others said, it is time consuming. But the jerky is as good or better than any commercial products.
Per pound of meat: 1 TBS Worcestershire 1/4 cup Soy sauce 1 tsp garlic powder 1 TBS seasoned pepper (more or less as preferred, I like it peppery) 1 tsp onion powder
Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 - 24 hours before dehydrating.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2018 11:03:17 GMT -8
I forgot to add that besides being easier, quicker and cheaper than whole meat I think the hamburger jerky is more digestible since the meat fiber has been cut up by the grinding.
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Post by johntpenca on Jul 30, 2018 14:03:56 GMT -8
I forgot to add that besides being easier, quicker and cheaper than whole meat I think the hamburger jerky is more digestible since the meat fiber has been cut up by the grinding. Here's an article on ground meat jerky. I'd suggest using ground bison; available in most grocery stores or on line. Never done it myself; sounds pretty good and may try it in the future. lowcarbyum.com/how-to-make-ground-beef-jerky-recipe/
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2018 16:04:13 GMT -8
Good article.
I had a jerky gun. I liked using it with the tube extruder. Made Slim Jim like tube jerky but tends to break up into smaller pieces. But you have to keep refilling the extruder and it is another thing to clean. With the roller method you just have paper to throw out. I am more about quick than as neat as in the article. I roll out a blob of meat between two sheets, peel off the top sheet, flip it on to the rack and peel off other sheet, repeat. Instead of a lot of gaps like the pictures in the article, my sheets are pretty much filled. I chop it into strips after it is dry.
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Post by johntpenca on Jul 30, 2018 18:07:19 GMT -8
Honestly, my wife just throws thin strips of steak that she gets from Costco on our smoker at 350 for around 30-45 minutes. Yeah, if you have an Asian grocery nearby they sell thinly cut rib eye that can be marinated and think it would dehydrate well. I use it for stir fry's. Last time I bought some it was $14/lb. It's also great wrapped around an asparagus spear anf cooked in a non-stick skillet with a little water added to steam the asparagus and served with a mayo/sesame oil/ginger based dipping sauce for an appetizer at pot lucks. www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/asparagus-negimaki-japanese-beef-rolls-364570
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matt
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Post by matt on Jul 31, 2018 1:57:32 GMT -8
The main reason I'm looking into making my own is the added sugar. Haven't found any locally with no added sugar. Sure it can be ordered online but then all of them seem to be the grass fed and such driving the price up.
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Jul 31, 2018 5:38:37 GMT -8
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Post by Lamebeaver on Jul 31, 2018 14:25:26 GMT -8
I like sarbar's recipe, but I would skip the liquid smoke. I usually smoke mine for 2-3 hours (hickory and mesquite), then finish it overnight at low temp in the dehydrator. London Broil also makes good jerky. So does Elk.
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Post by johntpenca on Jul 31, 2018 17:37:37 GMT -8
London Broil also makes good jerky. So does Elk. The key to slicing meat thinly is to partially freeze it before slicing it. The firmer meat is easy to slice thin.
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Jul 31, 2018 18:09:03 GMT -8
I like sarbar's recipe, but I would skip the liquid smoke. I usually smoke mine for 2-3 hours (hickory and mesquite), then finish it overnight at low temp in the dehydrator. It's funny, now that I have a Traeger, I'd smoke it as well!
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